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K2 1938: The First American Karakoram Expedition

Happy Anniversary, Gasherbrum I First Ascent!

by Eric Rueth

60 years ago today, Peter Schoening and Andy Kauffman topped a rounding ridge and had nowhere higher to go. After eight hours of climbing they found themselves on the summit of Gasherbrum I and became the only Americans to make a first ascent of an 8,000-meter peak.

"On July 4 all five os us started for Camp V which we hoped to establish at the 24,000-foot col between the south summit and the main peak" (Schoening, 1959).

To celebrate the ascent we're sharing some photo's from Andy Kauffman's collection.

To add some context here is the introduction to Pete Schoening's article from the 1959 American Alpine Club Journal and a link to the full article below.

"There is something exciting about expeditions. In part it must be the uncertainty of them. Perhaps this is adventure. But for Hidden Peak there was something even more. It could be the last chance for an American first ascent of an achttausender, and it seems extremely probable that first ascents of the fourteen achttausenders will become forever historically indicative of the mountaineering activity and ability of the various areas in the world.

Whether for adventure or history or whatever other reason, the ascent of Hidden Peak still required a party, permission and assistance from Pakistan, money, equipment, and an effort to carry out the attempt. Nick Clinch was the driving force behind the 1958 American Karakoram Expedition.* He was the "Director" and organizer.

Late in November 1957, Nick received Pakistani approval through the American Embassy in Karachi. From then on events began to occur at an increasing pace. Our freighter would leave New York by the end of March. In the middle of February as the party was being completed, I became a member. Besides Nick and myself, there were Andy Kauffman, Captain S. T. H. Risvi and Captain Mohd Akram of the Pakistan Army, Tom McCormack, Bob Swift, Dr. Tom Nevison, Gil Roberts, and Dick Irvin."

Click here to read the full "Ascent of Hidden Peak" article.

 

By Eric Rueth

Land & Water Conservation Fund

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is one of our nation’s most successful conservation tools. Created in 1965 from offshore oil and gas royalties, LWCF authorizes $900 million per year for the acquisition of land and water to protect natural treasures, with an emphasis on recreation. LWCF has supported 42,000+ projects to develop parks and outdoor recreation projects in all 50 states.

Without timely action from Congress, this popular, bipartisan program will expire September 30th, 2018. If LWCF is not reauthorized, city urban areas, small local communities, states and national parks could potentially lose many millions of dollars—including those with premier climbing areas.

Please join us in asking members of Congress to support either a stand-alone bill, or an amendment to the FY 2019 Interior appropriations bill, that permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund before it expires on September 30, 2018.

According to research by Access Fund, LWCF has been used to purchase or improve more than a dozen climbing areas, including: 

AAC member Justin Fricke climbs in Chimney Rock State Park, NC. Photo: Adam Fricke

  • Wilson Peak & Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO

  • Seneca Rocks, WV

  • Bozeman Pass, MT

  • Castle Crags, CA

  • Palisades Park, AL

  • Stone Mountain State Park, Hanging Rock State Park, Pilot Mountain State Park, Chimney Rock State Park & Crowders Mountain State Park, NC

  • Cumberland Trail State Park, TN

  • Hueco Tanks State Park, TX

  • Custer State Park, SD

  • New River Gorge, WV

  • Many more... Use this tool to find your home crag! 

STORIES FROM LWCF-FUNDED CLIMBING AREAS

"Stone Mountain is known as a premier slab climbing destination. Long run outs on off-vertical terrain characterize the climbing on this beautiful granite dome. Winter days at Stone can lead to climbing in a t-shirt with snow on the ground. Stone is home to many NC climber's first trad leads, such as the 5.5 Great Arch route which splits the South face and climbs a huge right-facing dihedral for 3 pitches to the top of the cliff." -AAC member Brian Payst (photo).

Some of the most popular climbing areas in NC have benefitted from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Pilot Mountain, Stone Mountain, Chimney Rock and Crowder’s Mountain State Parks all have seen investments from this important fund. Pilot Mountain was one of the first parks in the state to receive LWCF funding, just two years after the fund was created in 1965 and Stone Mountain benefitted just two years later. LWCF funds have supported important acquisitions and expansions at Chimney Rock and Crowder’s Mountain. All of these are popular destinations for climbers.

As climbers, it’s easy to just grab the pack or pad and head for the day’s objective, but that route you’re on or the boulder problem you and your friends are sessioning was touched by the LWCF. We need to rally support for this important program and do everything we can to make sure it is permanently and fully funded. NC climbers have already reaped the rewards of the visionaries who established the LWCF and we’re set to see further gains in the future, but we won’t be able to do it unless it is reauthorized. Many thanks go to NC Senator Richard Burr, who recognizes the value the LWCF has brought to his state and is a leading champion for it in the Senate. However, Senator Burr can’t do this alone and we need your help. If you’ve climbed in NC or just hope to one day, now is the time to get behind the LWCF.

– AAC member Brian Payst, President of the Carolina Climbers Coalition

"Rumbling Bald at Chimney Rock State Park is home to over 400 routes and close to 1,000 boulder problems and is a regional destination in the Fall, Winter and Spring. The Bald also hosts the Carolina Climbers' Coalition's annual Rumble bouldering competition, which draws hundreds of climbers in January of each year. Technical face climbing, crack routes, high quality rock and an amazing diversity of boulder problems draw thousands of climbers in the prime seasons." -AAC member Brian Payst (photo).

[The LWCF-funded crag] Palisades Park, Alabama is the first place I tied into a rope, the first place I learned how to build anchors... the first place I took a lead fall, the first place I learned how to drill top-rope anchors, and the first place I learned to give back to the climbing community by participating in a trail day.

Located about 40 minutes from downtown Birmingham, the park sports dozens of high quality routes throughout the grades.

– AAC member Bob Farley

Photo: Christopher Neal

Like many climbing areas throughout the world, the boulders and cliffs at Rumbling Bald are simply conduits for connection. When I started climbing there in 2010 it was almost always with a group of friends that inevitably grew throughout the day as we met new people. Exploring the thick forest, sprinkled with granite boulders and capped by sheer granite cliffs, cultivated timeless bonds in all of us with people, place, and community. I’m not sure those same bonds would have been possible without that forest and the protection provided to it by the LWCF.


– AAC member Azissa Singh

AAC to Host 2019 UIAA World Cup Ice Climbing Competition in Denver, CO

The AAC is pleased to announce that UIAA World Cup Ice Climbing is coming to Denver, Colorado February 23–24, 2019. The new North American tour stop will serve as the 2018 / 2019 World Cup Ice Climbing Finals in which over 200 athletes from 26 countries around the world will compete for the overall World Cup in both Lead and Speed categories.

The 2019 event is the first time the Ice Climbing World Tour has come to Denver, Colorado. The weekend event will be held in Denver’s Civic Center Park and will be free to the public. The ice climbing competition will take place over two days with qualifying rounds on Sat, Feb 23, and semi-finals and overall finals on Sun, Feb 24.

Golden, CO, June 26, 2018—The American Alpine Club (AAC), America’s oldest and largest non-profit organization for climbers, is pleased to announce that UIAA World Cup Ice Climbing is coming to Denver, Colorado February 23–24, 2019. The new North American tour stop will serve as the 2018 / 2019 World Cup Ice Climbing Finals in which over 200 athletes from 26 countries around the world will compete for the overall World Cup in both Lead and Speed categories.

The 2019 event is the first time the Ice Climbing World Tour has come to Denver, Colorado. The weekend event will be held in Denver’s Civic Center Park and will be free to the public. The ice climbing competition will take place over two days with qualifying rounds on Sat, Feb 23, and semi-finals and overall finals on Sun, Feb 24.

"We are proud to support our U.S. ice climbing athletes and bring this impressive event to downtown Denver," said American Alpine Club CEO, Phil Powers. "Competitive ice climbing is one of the most exciting things I've ever watched; the stamina, skill, and seeming impossibility of it all makes for an outstanding spectator experience. They’re up there doing crazy moves, wielding sharp tools and they hang on forever.”

Competition ice climbing combines formidable over-hanging walls of ice with artful technique and sheer power. In the lead discipline, ice climbers require great technique, tactical mastery and nerves of steel to ascend seemingly improbable icy pillars dozens of feet above the ground. The speed discipline is most closely akin to all out vertical sprint using ice axes and crampons. In 2014, competitive ice climbed debuted as an exhibition sport at the Sochi Winter Olympics. The sport is currently being considered for full-scale Olympic inclusion in the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing .

Luis Benitez, Director of the Colorado Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry and event partner, also commented, “Ice climbing has a strong presence in the culture of outdoor recreation in Colorado. From our world class ice park in Ouray, to our iconic routes in Vail and Rocky Mountain National Park, this is a sport whose time has come. We are thrilled to welcome the World Cup event to Denver in February to highlight just how special ice climbing is and share that feeling with the rest of the country watching!”

The 2019 Denver World Cup Ice Climbing Competition is being hosted by the Golden, CO based American Alpine Club in partnership with the UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation and tour organizer), the Civic Center Conservancy, Denver Sports Commission, Visit Denver, Colorado Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry, and the Denver Office of Special Events.

“We’re thrilled to help host this exciting international event in Denver’s historic Civic Center Park and expose this amazing sport to a larger population than ever in North America,” said Scott Robson, Executive Director of the non-profit Civic Center Conservancy, “Civic Center Park is the heart of Denver and has hosted iconic events for over a century. Hosting the 2019 World Cup Ice Climbing finale in such an urban setting will not only make this competition accessible to multitudes of new fans, but will also be visually stunning to watch.”

US athletes who wish to compete at the 2019 Denver World Cup will be able to earn entry at qualifying competitions. 

For additional information, including how to become a sponsor, please contact: Vickie Hormuth at [email protected] or visit: americanalpineclub.org/uiaa-federation/ 

Denver Ice Climbing World Cup Schedule:

Friday, Feb 22               
Athlete Registration

Saturday, Feb 23           
Lead Qualifiers, Speed Qualifiers

Sunday, Feb 24                
Lead Semi-Finals, Lead Finals, Speed Finals, Closing Ceremony, After Party (hosted by the American Alpine Club)

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AAC Creates Yosemite Timeline with NativesOutdoors

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"Yosemite Valley (Ahwahnee in the language of the Ahwahnechee, who originally inhabited the area) has long been a bastion for American climbing, from the first ascent of the NW Face of Half Dome (Tissaack) to the first free solo of El Cap (Tutocanula). The AAC has been there nearly every step of the complicated (and sometimes dark) way—from guiding the establishment of the park to fighting for climbing as a legitimate use of wilderness in National Parks and advocating for the preservation and 2018 improvements to Camp 4, the iconic climbers' campground."

We've worked with NativesOutdoors to put together this resource for all things Yosemite climbing and history. Check it out below.

Yosemite (Ahwahnee) THROUGH THE YEARS

Rumney Climbers Association Addresses Human Waste

The rising popularity of climbing and the increasing demand on climbing areas necessitates addressing human waste issues. Rumney receives thousands of visitors every year and improper human waste disposal creates a significant negative impact on the environment and on the user experience. As president of the Rumney Climbers Association (RCA), Rose Kenny sought to find a long-term waste management strategy to:

  • Improve sanitary conditions

  • Reduce the impact of human waste on the climbing and hiking experience

  • Educate users about human impacts on backcountry areas.

Thus, the RCA’s Clean Waste Program was born. In collaboration with the White Mountain National Forest and supported by the AAC’s Cornerstone Conservation Grant, RCA board members and forest service staff held multiple coffee events in the parking area to talk with climbers about human impacts. They gave away 2200 waste kits (Wag Bags) and engaged hundreds of climbers, including French-speaking Quebecois. This program was the first of its kind in the White Mountains, and at the end of 2015 it was deemed “highly effective” by the district ranger.

“Dispensing 2,200 Wag Bags at the most popular sport climbing crag in the north east was a critical step in helping to address personal outdoor responsibility for climbers,” said Rose Kenny. “On behalf of my local community, thank you AAC!  The Cornerstone grant significantly reduced instances of human waste at the cliff and made a positive impact on my local climbing area.”

Thanks to the RCA for all their hard work. And remember: fully bury your human waste at least six inches under the surface OR walk down to the parking lot bathrooms OR pack it ALL out by using a Clean Waste kit. Either way, leave no trace!

Southeast Climbers Coalition & Elephant Snot

Graffiti has always been a big problem in the South, and although most people would love to see it disappear, we’ve come to accept it as part of the landscape. The SCC attempted graffiti removal efforts over a decade ago, to no avail. Attempts at chemical removers, scrubbing and lots of elbow grease proved no match for the extensive graffiti littering our natural areas. The closest we ever came to ridding our landscape of these eyesores was using a natural paint to cover the graffiti and attempt to blend the paint colors into the rock. This method worked great, but was very time consuming and not logical for a large scale removal effort.

There are a few climbing areas in the Southeast that have essentially been abandoned by climbers because of the trash and graffiti. In 2015, the SCC decided it was time to start looking into graffiti removal options. There had to be something out there that would work! After extensive research, communication with other local climbing organizations and the Access Fund Conservation Team, we found a few products that seemed hopeful. We found a product, Elephant Snot, which seemed to be the best bet for our porous sandstone, so we decided to give it a try.

After ordering a test batch, we started testing the product at different areas. We set out with the elephant snot, a weed sprayer, gloves and brushes to conduct our first test graffiti removal. After a few tests, we found that some graffiti just melted away in seconds, with no need to brush, but others required a lot of time and scrubbing. We figured many factors could affect this: color of the paint, thickness of the paint, age of the graffiti, and porousness of the rock. We tested at various sites and had fantastic results at all of them!  Most, if not all, of the graffiti was removed, leaving little or no evidence behind!

The process is simple and requires one key factor: PATIENCE. After some trial and error, here is the process we find works best for all areas:

  • Paint the Elephant Snot over the graffiti with a paint brush. Don’t be stingy with the Snot, make sure graffiti is fully covered in a thick coat.

  • Let it Sit. We found that letting it sit for at least 20 minutes before attempting to wash it off is adequate in most situations, but 30 minutes-1 hour proved best

  • Brush. While it’s resting, brush, brush, brush. Use soft bristle brushes (like the ones you would use to wash your car tires) to scrub and scrub and scrub. Use a little spray of water to ignite the bubbly effect of the Elephant Snot and let it do its job. I would recommend scrubbing at least 5-6 different times during the half hour-1 hour waiting period.

  • Rinse. A pressure washer is the best for rinsing. But, if you don’t have access to a pressure washer or can’t get it to the graffiti, use the highest pressure weed sprayers you can find. If using a weed sprayer, spray slowly and close to the rock. *If using a pressure washer make sure the pressure isn’t too high so it doesn’t break the rock. Be extra cautious around holds on routes.*

The graffiti removal efforts that were made possible by the support of the Cornerstone Conservation Grant. The grant has had a huge impact on our ability to bring natural areas back to their original state while improving relationships with land owners and educating the community. This project had a reach farther than we could have ever imagined. We look forward to continued efforts in preserving climbing areas for generations to come. 

If you have any questions about graffiti removal, please reach out to Cody Roney of the Southeastern Climbers Coalition at: [email protected]

Congratulations to our 2018 Cornerstone Recipients

Allied Climbers of San Diego, California - $3,348
Mission Trails Regional Park

In recent years the spur trail from the main climber’s loop trail up to the Standard Deviation area has become badly eroded. More and more hikers and climbers are using this area and trails. Funds will be used for trail improvements that will prevent erosion, restore the habitat, allow better access, and prevent injuries due to loose rocks and ground.

Boulder Climbing Community, Colorado - $2,000
Scarface Wall, Indian Creek, UT

This AAC Cornerstone Grant will help fund two weeks of work on the Scarface Wall approach trail by the Front Range Climbing Stewards. The project will be a continuation of work started at the Scarface Wall in the spring of 2018. The trail crew will be assisted by students from Montrose High School and from the High Mountain Institute, and the crew will be supporting the AAC’s Moab Craggin’ Classic event on the weekend of October 27, 2018.

Buffalo Climbing Coalition, NY - $1,940
Niagara Glen

Niagara Glen is popular among hikers and climbers around Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Because of the popularity, Niagara Glen has accumulated a significant amount of waste and graffiti that can be found on and off named boulders. Funds will be used to purchase equipment needed for clean-up and graffiti removal, in partnership with Niagara Parks Commission and Ontario Access Coalition.

Carolina Climbers Coalition, North and South Carolina - $4,500
Table Rock State Park

In the fall of 2016, Table Rock State Park and much of the Southeast was plagued by wildfires. The destruction caused soil instability which has led to sever erosion in places along the climbers’ approach trail. Funds will be used to restore and fortify parts of the climbers’ trail to Table Rock.

Washington’s National Park Fund, WA - $4,000
North Cascades National Park/Student Conservation Association

A Cornerstone grant will support a Student Conservation Association (SCA) intern to perform wilderness climbing patrols in North Cascades National Park. The intern will assist visitors with trip planning, safety information, route information and a wide range of stewardship topics. The patrols will help visitors be better stewards of park resources and increase visitor enjoyment of those resources.

 

AAC Cornerstone Conservation Grant Selection Committee:

·       Rebecca Schild, Committee Chair
·       Aram Attarian
·       Audrey Borisov
·       Ben Doyle
·       Eddie Espinosa
·       Elisabeth Bowers
·       Jay Parks
·       Joe Sambataro
·       Matt Hepp

Why We Climb

Alex Wildman—AAC Philadelphia Chapter Vice Chair

Any Mountain.

At the start of this year I was planning on setting out on my biggest climbing trip to date, Patagonia. Just the thought of walking into that range gave me chills and excitement at the same time. It was hard to know at times if I was really ready to take on any objective in one of the worlds great ranges, but I knew that I had to at least try. Training, gearing up, and plotting out logistics with my partner that lived on the other side of the country was as far as I made it on this objective. Two weeks before I was due to fly down to South American and find my way to El Chalten, I found myself at having to tackle a mountain that was certainly never on my “to-do” list.

Cancer.

I was having stomach discomfort for about two weeks and on the night of January 28th it woke me from my sleep. I got out of bed, doubled over in pain and thought to myself, what did I eat yesterday!? The pain subsided and as I tried to fall back to sleep my mind raced with possibilities of what that stomach pain could be. Being a nurse provided me to too many potential scenarios for me to let this go and I decided to go to my hospital to get it checked out.

As I drove to the hospital I just wanted to be laughed out of the ER, maybe someone would give me a talk about wasting resources, I just wanted this stomach pain to go away and find out I was being crazy. The Cat scan of my stomach only played into my greatest fear, soft tissue masses and grossly enlarged lymph nodes. I was told that night I would need a biopsy in the morning and that this was likely lymphoma. Flooded with emotions all I could manage to do was cry.

The fear was unreal. It was as if I was 8 pitches up, totally pumped, and just realizing I had not placed a single piece of gear. So I took a few really deep breaths and decided this was my new objective, this was a mountain I must climb and I found myself going to a familiar mind set. As I started to equate battling cancer to climbing I found the fear starting to fade.

Having the right mindset is everything when you are going for a big scary objective. Staying positive, moving forward, and keeping that goal in front of you is everything. Climbing taught me how to keep my head together, it taught me how to breath when I’m scared, it taught me that I can do the things that once seemed impossible. I would be relying on all the deeper lessons climbing had taught me and this gave me strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I related my 6 chemo treatment to 6 pitches and I knew that reaching the top was not an option, it was mandatory.

I was nervous to share my news on social media, but in doing so I found the collective strength in the climbing community and suddenly I felt like I had thousands of spotters. Everyone was reaching out to give love and support and with that it helped me to continue keeping a positive attitude, to continue up this new mountain. I had never felt such love from a community.

Fast forward to today. I’m finished with my chemo and I have my next PET scan coming up in early July. The results of this scan could spell remission. It’s unclear to me how I would have dealt with having cancer if I was not a climber, all I know is that climbing has given my life a greater purpose and taught me lessons that have helped me in my darkest hours.

I’m a climber and I can tackle any mountain.

Katie Campbell- Author, Speaker, and Founding Member of the Courage Club

In September of 2014, at the age of 31, I was deep in preparations for my first week-long, outdoor rock climbing adventure in Moab, Utah. I had no idea what to expect but I was nervous. I hadn’t worked out in over a year and was weaker than I had ever been in my life. I was still pretty bald from chemo and my skin was still burned from radiation. Heading out on this adventure just two weeks after completing a year’s worth of treatment for Stage 2 breast cancer felt a little like an act of insanity but it turned out to be a life saver.

A friend with cancer had told me about First Descents, a non-profit that provides week long adventure trips for young adults with cancer, and I had immediately signed up. Out on the rock the first day I was nervous. But I was pleasantly surprised that first day that after a year of being the weakest person in the room I seemed to have some semblance of strength. It was on the second day though that I met my greatest foe of the week.

I had jumped at the chance to take on what seemed like a pretty difficult climb but about 10 feet short of the top I could feel my strength fading fast. It had been an excruciating climb and my muscles were completely spent. I had been clawing, grasping, and dragging myself up, fighting for every inch. I took a moment and thought about all of the pain I’d endured, against my will, over the last year. If I could survive that pain, I could survive this pain, I thought to myself, and I finally pushed myself far enough to reach the last hold, a nice big jug, and hoisted myself up.

That became a defining moment for me. Since then my cancer has returned and it is now Stage 4. The damage cancer has done to my body makes it impossible for me to climb. But that one day out on the rocks illustrated for me exactly how strong and resilient I can be. Every time I feel overwhelmed or like I want to throw in the towel I think about that day and remember that if I can just push myself far enough I will eventually make it to the top.

View Katie's website here.

Stacy Bare-AAC Board Member and Director of the Sierra Club Outdoors

A couple years after I got out of the Army, I moved to Boulder, Colorado. Part of my life was going great, but part of my life was pretty miserable. I reached out to a friend who challenged me to climb the First Flatiron with him. I did and I was hooked. Climbing saved my life, quite literally. It pulled me out of my head and got me moving. It helped me find a sense of purpose, a community, a group of friends.

Libby Sauter- Big Wall Climber and Cardiac Nurse, 2016 Hall of Mountaineering Excellence Awardee

I have always sought after the higher perspective. As a child, I found my adventure high up on the roof of the house or in the tops of the trees and eventually on the walls of my local climbing gym. As a young adult, those proclivities towards exposure translated to a love of big walls. Places like Yosemite and Zion replaced the man made structures of my youth. And now, as a 31 year old, I've taken what I've learned over the years of climbing and translated it into my nursing work in countries like Ukraine, Iraq, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan and Libya. Without the grit, confidence and ability to suffer that climbing taught me, I doubt I would be able to handle the struggles that come with trying to help establish pediatric heart surgery programs in the developing world. 90 hour work week? Eh, at least my body doesn't hurt as much as the time I did the El Cap/Half Dome link up in 23:47. No water/electricity/internet in Libya today? Sounds like every other big wall I voluntarily attempt! Protein hungry because I can’t find good vegetarian food?? Still easier than that time we were in the remote Chilean rain forest putting up a 4,000 foot first ascent for 6 weeks and ran short on our food supply! How about that time I dropped the weeks old collection container of respiratory fluid (think: snot, spit, vomit) and it splashed all over me? Ok, that one was more disgusting than any other climbing related experience and I’ve been accidentally peed on, multiple times. When a patient is very sick and on the cusp of death, I harness the strength to keep a clear head that years of climbing above RURPS and ledges has taught me.

Thanks to climbing, I am a better nurse, and because of that, I hope to be a better human. 

Hans Florine-Holds Speed Record on the Nose of El Capitan

These days I get hired to speak to audiences—at corporations, conferences, trade shows, universities, rotary clubs, and small businesses—all over the world about climbing. As I say in those talks, what I do does not save lives in Africa or get kids off the street in America’s ghettos, yet I’m passionate about it. And apparently sharing that passion has a ripple effect. Many people, months or years after hearing my story, have approached me to say thanks. One person told me he found the courage to accept a job in China, which led to incredible life experiences and adventures. Another was inspired to begin working with Doctors With- out Borders, another to leave an unsatisfying job to travel the world, and still another to commit to a trip to trek Nepal in between corporate jobs.

Why on earth would anyone climb the Nose one hundred times (or 101 times, as of the date of this publishing)? I’m not sure that’s the right question. How about this one: Why on earth would anyone work a job they don’t care about, day after day, for 261 days a year, every year? Or this one: Why would someone who has a choice settle for “good enough” instead of going after great?

One of my favorite books is Jim Collins’s Good to Great. It talks about how corporations let good stand in the way of great. Jim just so happens to be a climber. When he set out to climb the Nose, he went for NIAD, and he climbed the whole thing—no jugging. That’s not just good, that’s great. Or as my coauthor Jayme says, “follow the heat,” which is another way of saying find your passion, your “Precious.”

Mine is El Capitan and specifically, the Nose route up El Capitan. For all of my adult life, I’ve been either directly or indirectly putting my energy into climbing that route, to the absolute best of my ability. It was a risky investment, riskier than say, building a career at Parker Seals, but the return has been huge. In a way, I can tie everything and everyone I love most in life back to the Nose. And the dividends are still coming. My next challenge is to climb El Capitan 200 times. I’m at 161, and yes, most of those have been the Nose. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hans Florine is a climbing legend in his own time. The 52-year-old holds the speed record, along with Alex Honnold, on the Nose route of El Capitan, a route Hans has climbed 101 times — more than anyone else ever has, and most likely ever will. In this excerpt from his new book, On the Nose: A Lifelong Obsession with Yosemite's Most Iconic Climb, Hans talks about how his devotion to climbing the Nose has enabled him to live a life according to his values.      

Eddie Schoen- Jackson Hole Mountain Guide

Lately, I’ve been trying to remind myself why I climb. It has always been about spending time in the mountains with good friends, a brief respite from the routines of life.  I have had many passions in my life, and climbing was the first one that taught me to fully enjoy the moment and appreciate the beauty of life, no matter where it takes me. 

The more I got into it, the more I realized that the mountains were where my heart is.  I got into the AMGA track and set my sights on guiding in a much bigger way.  Climbing, skiing, and pushing my own limits in the mountains is fun, but it’s no longer my main priority.  Now, I am blessed with the opportunity to share that experience with other people who might not otherwise have the chance to do it.  I have the best job in the world.  It’s hard, it’s challenging, it’s dangerous, and it’s generally not well paying.  Yet, I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing with my time. 

After my first summer guiding in the Tetons, I have learned quite a few things about why I do what I do.  As a guide, I get to spend more time in the mountains than I ever have.  Yet at the same time, I get to go climbing with my friends far less than I ever used to.  My climbing goals, the very things that used to be more important than just about anything, are just a hobby. When your passion becomes your career, it can be a challenge to remember why you fell in love with it in the first place.  As a guide, I have had the opportunity to meet and climb with so many amazing people.  I have silently fell in love with every person I have climbed with.  Not in a romantic way, but in a family-like way.  Every client I get to work with is like a brother or sister to me.  I care deeply about each and every person that I get to work with in the mountains.  I climb for them now.  The most fantastic thing is that once I dropped the pressure to pursue my own personal climbing goals, I gained the freedom to simply have fun.  That is why I climb and what I strive to give to all of my climbing partners now, whether I am working, or climbing with friends… It’s all about having fun out there!

Miché Lozano- Latino Outdoors Flagstaff Ambassador

Honestly, rock climbing is one of the hardest things I've ever chosen to do. I don't remember why I decided to do it, but I remember how hard it was to even see it as "fun". For many months I would cry like a baby, I'd scream and throw temper tantrums, I'd be so stressed out and completely out of my comfort zone, cut up and peppered with bruises. Unable to center myself, progress felt non-existent. I had little patience for myself. People hated climbing with me; I was not a fun climbing partner. But there was something there, in the tiny bursts of courage that I'd manage to squeeze out, even when I thought I was all out of juice. I'd always feel good after completing something really difficult, all the terrible feelings and screaming that happened during the climb would seem so silly once it was over.

Eventually, things stop being so scary, and difficult tasks were fun challenges to overcome. You find newer, scarier, and more difficult things and your whole personality changes. Slowly, but you notice over time. This is me after my first ever crack climb outside. I was very patient with myself, I worked very hard. I am proud of my progress, not just in my climbing ability but also in the changes I've seen in my personality. I still have those frustrating moments, I feel the same fears and frustrations as when I first started climbing, this is good. It means I'm still pushing myself even now after all these months. I'll admit, I'm not that great at climbing in general, but I'm super stoked to continue growing a stronger mind and body!

Learn more about Latino Outdoors here. 

Ryan McCauley- Teacher, Climber, Accident Survivor

“So do you still climb?” the physician said during a recent physical exam as she grimaced at the scars on my knees and documented the limited range of motion I had when bending them. Her expression made me hesitate, but I saw no point in lying.

“Yes. The accident was my mistake. I know what I did wrong. It wasn’t gear failure…”

“Mmm hmmm…so you didn’t learn your lesson, did you?”

She was referring to a 60-foot fall I had taken two years earlier after accidentally rappelling off the end of my rope during a climbing descent.

I instantly felt discouraged. I had heard a variety of responses similar to hers and, while I understood they frequently came from a place of concern, the implicit “you-don’t-value-your-life” tone was hard to swallow. However, the comments had also given me pause to grapple with the question for myself: Why did I feel so compelled to continue climbing after enduring an event that could easily have killed me?

The answer was and still is simple: the passion and dedication required to tackle climbing challenges represent the values I aim to live out each day. As a perfectionist who struggles to balance both career and personal aspirations, climbing helps me take a step back from life demands when I most need it.

I use the same strategies to calmly analyze next steps for a tricky climbing move as I do when handling stresses in day-to-day life. I am a more open-minded individual because my climbing friends have pushed me to expand my comfort zone while offering inspiration and reassurance. Few things trigger a stronger sense of gratitude for the numerous privileges I experience each day than overlooking a gorgeous mountain I recognize not all people have access to. Most importantly, climbing reminds me I can’t effectively serve others in my job if I am sacrificing my own happiness. It is a sport that humbles me on a daily basis to find beauty in each situation and have faith in myself to tackle unknowns with patience and confidence.

The same skills that allow me to look at a blank face and truly believe I can find innovative ways to conquer it are the ones that helped me push through my accident recovery and return to work after 4 months when the doctors said my recovery would take a year. It was as much of a strugglefest as a difficult route often is, but the success tasted as magnificent as completing a project I had repeatedly failed on.

Climbing is a constant reminder to value my life and each obstacle in it that has shaped me. The sense of trust and focus it has instilled within me have allowed me to make some of the most courageous, spontaneous, and meaningful decisions of my life. So, yes, of course I still climb. I couldn’t imagine my life without it.

You can read more about Ryan's accident and recovery here.

Lauren Panasewicz- Director of Events and Outreach at ROMP

I used to climb just because I could.   

I grew up extremely active, climbing 14,000 foot mountains on weekends and traveling with my dad around the US and the world climbing peaks. Not only did we have able bodies that carried us to the summit, but we always had unbelievable weather. (Crazy, right?!) No matter where we were: Colorado 14ers, Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, Kilimanjaro, Gannett Peak, Granite Peak… We were never denied a summit day. I got so used to summiting as the norm and not the exception that I began to lose sight of the purpose of the journey.

Mobility is a concept that affects every human, every day. I was first introduced to adaptive sports as a volunteer ski instructor at Alyeska through the Challenge Alaska program. What started as a weekend hobby to get a free ski pass, turned into my biggest passion: helping people access the mountains.  

From there I quit my engineering job to work with people with disabilities full time through two non-profits. I was introduced to ROMP (The Range of Motion Project) while traveling in Ecuador in 2013 and immediately connected to their mission. ROMP helps amputees gain access to prosthetics in Central and South America. They believe that you are not disabled by a missing limb or broken body but by a missing prosthetic and broken healthcare system. ROMP empowers people by giving them mobility. There may be no greater gift.

My outlook on the mountains and summit days has changed over the last few years. I did a training hike with ROMP’s elite climbing team on Mt. Bierstadt last summer in Colorado. Stream crossings where I did not hesitate, rock scrambles I ran up like a kid again, and snowfields that I tiptoed across without issue were obstacles that the ROMP athletes struggled to overcome, I was floored by their determination.  

Not everyone made it to the summit that day- a concept I had yet to understand. The ascent  wasn’t about the summit, though- it was about trying. What I once viewed as so easily accessible and available, I now saw through a different lens. The mountains I grew up loving are still so inaccessible to so many people. My biggest passions are skiing and climbing, two things where, I believe, people with disabilities are not limited by their disability but by access to proper technologies.

I climb now to demonstrate what is possible when people are given the tools they need to fully realize their human potential.

I climb for those still waiting to receive the help they need to get back on their feet.
I climb now for those who cannot.

Learn more about the Range of Motion Project. 

Jessica Hamel—Big City Mountaineers

Photo by: Josh Vertucci

I didn’t grow up in the outdoors. Sure I went on the occasional car camping trip on the coast of Rhode Island, but I was what you may like to call a ‘city girl.’ The outdoors first made its impact on me during study abroad in South Africa. For some odd reason, I joined an outdoors group and during my six months there I hiked to a hut in the middle of nowhere, slept under the stars and saw the moon rise and set from my sleeping bag. I was totally out of place, yet felt this strong sense of belonging and acceptance.

Over the years, as I dove more into the outdoors, I’ve felt myself becoming stronger, braver, bolder and more audacious through my outdoor experiences. And not only in regards to outdoor pursuits, but in my everyday life. The outdoors has had a profound, life-changing impact on my life. It has inspired me so much, that I knew I wanted to introduce others to the outdoors because I knew the power it would have on them.

Photo by: Josh Vertucci

In March 2017, the Big City Mountaineers - Summit for Someone program gave me the opportunity to pursue an outdoor dream of my own while helping to raise money to introduce under-resource youth to the outdoors via transformational week-long backpacking trips. I joined three other women, all from different backgrounds, to climb Pico De Orizaba in Mexico. Climbing to 18,491 ft was a totally new experience for me and a majority of the group.

During the climb I thought a lot about one quote I read from a Big City Mountaineers youth, “Each step, each breath, it is the most memorable time of my life.” As I look back at the climb, the summit wasn’t the most memorable moment. It was suffering through our acclimatization days, listening to other climbers’ stories in the hut and  the first sight of the sun on summit day - it was the journey. But, what was most memorable, hasn’t even happened yet. It’s the excitement for the Big City Mountaineers youth that will head out on their own summit days this summer, the memories they’ll create and the impact it will have on them. I’ve been lucky enough to grow through my experiences outdoors and I can only hope these kids get the opportunity to do that too.

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If you’ve been impacted by the outdoors, I urge you to pay it forward and get involved with Big City Mountaineers. You can volunteer on a week-long expedition during the summer with the youth or you can help to raise money for the programs by heading out on your own climb through the Summit for Someone program.

Inspired by the Women’s Climb? We’ll be releasing a short film soon, but you can check out photos and memories from the climb on Facebook and donate here.

Chris Noble— Author, Photographer and Climber

Chris Noble rappels off a climb in Thailand. 

I just published a book titled Why We Climb, so you’d think it would be easy for me to wax poetic about the reasons I climb— but ha-ha, fat chance. Climbing is far too rich and sprawling, too subtle and complex, to be boiled down to easy answers. That’s one of the many reasons I love it. Climbing refuses to be boxed in, limited, or defined. In fact, climbing is not one thing at all, it’s a broad spectrum of related activities, each of which imbues life with passion, meaning and purpose—qualities sadly lacking in modern society. If only for a moment, climbing allows us to be the hero or our own personal story, giving us the opportunity to be better than we believed possible. Climbing transports us to the most wild and beautiful regions of the earth introducing us to life-long I would do anything for you best friends along the way. Perhaps most importantly, in a world ever more synthetic and virtual, climbing reconnects us with the primal living earth, gifting us with true wealth—adventures that can be told and re-lived long after we’re gone. As Chris Sharma said, “I can’t think of any reasons not to climb.”

Check out Chris's book here. 

Judy Fog— Climber, Mom

I played ice hockey for twenty-five years. When I was in my mid-sixties, I decided it was time to find a new adventure. My daughter Robyn, an accomplished climber, suggested that I try climbing with her. After one visit to the gym, I was hooked. I've been climbing several times a week ever since. When I first took up the sport, I suffered back pain from severe spinal stenosis and at times could hardly walk. Within a few weeks of starting to climb, the pain went away and has never returned. I have no way of knowing if climbing had anything to do with this "remission", but I know that a strong core contributes to back health, so I consider rock climbing to be my magic pill. 

I have always believed that physical activity is the key to the fountain of youth, so exercise has been a part of my daily life for years. I routinely walk twenty miles a week, and in the summer I swim and frequently hike long distances in the Hudson Valley. In the winter, aside from shoveling snow, my husband and I ski. All these activities contribute to my physical and emotional well-being. 

Climbing has been a wonderful addition to my exercise repertoire for many reasons. It is obviously a great workout for building core strength and maintaining balance and muscle mass— all things which are crucially important for older people. Equally importantly, it’s just plain fun! I have met an amazingly diverse group of people who come together because of their love of the sport. Some days we feel we could climb Everest and other days we can't get off the ground but we keep coming back for more because the challenge is always there and the taste of success is so sweet. Recently I climbed (well, worked my way up) a 5.12, which has been a goal of mine for a long time. It felt so good!

I also competed in my first bouldering competition several weeks ago. I'm not much of a boulderer, but I had a blast! I came in fourth in the Women's masters division, which had a minimum age of 40. I'm 71. I often ask myself: Why are my climbing friends 20 or more years younger than I am? Where are my contemporary friends who could do a 13-mile day hike? I know there probably are a lot of older people out there who are like me, but perhaps not as many as there should be. It's a shame because it's just not that hard to get up and move. The rewards are immeasurable.           

2018 Live Your Dream Grant Recipients Announced

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The AAC and The North Face are proud to announce the recipients of the 2018 Live Your Dream grant. In total, $72,150 was awarded to 158 individuals from across the nation, making 2018 the most successful year in the history of the Live Your Dream grant program. Roughly one out of every three applicants received an award.
 
The climbing grant for climbers, by climbers, the Live Your Dream grant seeks to fund every-day adventurers looking take their abilities to the next level. Be it transitioning out of the gym or establishing a first ascent in the greater ranges, the purpose of this grant is to support and promote unforgettable experiences for mountain adventurers—to dream big, to grow, and to inspire others.

The 2019 Live Your Dream grant cycle will open for applications on February 1, 2019.

2018 Live Your Dream Recipients 

The American Alpine Club and The North Face are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2018 Live Your Dream grant. In total, $72,150 was awarded to 158 recipients.

NORTHEAST REGION

The Northeast Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Howard Sebold. Committee members included Tom Lannamann, Mikhail Martin, Martin Torresquintero, and TNF athlete Anna Pfaff. 

Joshua Alcorn: New York, New York
$400 to attempt a fast and light Styggedalstind/Skagastølstind traverse in the Jotunheimen mountains, Norway.

Neil Berenholz: Nyack, New York
$200 for a 4 day trip to climb The Diagonal and other routes on Wallface, Adirondack high peaks.

Ethan Berman: Cambridge, Massachusetts
$800 to climb new lines in alpine style on Cerro Arkhata (5650 m), Cerro Mururata (5871 m) and Peak 5402 in the Cordillera Real Sur, Bolivia.

William Braasch Jr: Norwich, Vermont
$300 to establish a new, free, alpine style route on Tathagata Tower, Cirque of the Unclimbables and a secondary objective of a three-day ridge traverse within the Cirque.

Abigail Connell: Mystic, Connecticut
$250 to train to be a 5.12 climber by the end of 2018 and travel to El Potrero Chico, Mexico and climb Time Wave Zero (TWZ), IV/V 5.12a.

Corey Day: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$400 to climb 5.10-5.12 offwidth cracks and learn inverted crack climbing technique in Vedauwoo, WY.

Anthony DellaValle: Tonawanda, New York
$200 for a "Big Walls of the Northeast" trip - a 10 day trip to New Hampshire and the Adirondacks to complete Moby Grape (NH), Whitney-Gilman Ridge (NH), The Diagonal (NY), and Gamesmanship (NY).

Alissa Doherty: Somerville, Massachusetts
$250 to make first ascents in a range of serious, unnamed, unclimbed, peaks in a little known corner of the Alaska Range in south-central Alaska.

Rachel Drattler: Maplewood, New Jersey
$250 to climb the Southeast face of the Lotus Flower Tower, Cirque of the Unclimbables and potentially climb other peaks and towers in the region.
 
Arthur Eng: Bear, Delaware
$250 to attempt the second ascent of the South Ridge of Mount Russell, Denali National Park.

John Gassel: Somerville, Massachusetts
$250 to make first ascents in a range of serious, unnamed, unclimbed, peaks in a little-known corner of the Alaska Range in south-central Alaska.

Garrett Gibbons: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$400 to climb 5.10-5.12 offwidth cracks and learn inverted crack climbing technique in Vedauwoo, WY.

Gretchen Grebe: Scarborough, Maine
$250 to climb the Northeast Face on Pingora and East Ridge of Wolf's Head, Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range.

James Gurian: Wayne, Pennsylvania
$400 for a two month trip out west to train and attempt the East Shoulder of South Howser Tower, Bugaboos and a traverse of the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range. 

Robert Johnson: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
$500 for a week-long Yosemite trip to climb his first multi-day wall route: the South Face of Washington Column, as well as the East Buttress of Middle Cathedral Rock.

Emmett Lyman: Somerville, Massachusetts
$250 to make first ascents in a range of serious, unnamed, unclimbed, peaks in a little-known corner of the Alaska Range in south-central Alaska.

*A fourth member of this party was also awarded $250 for this objective.

John Martin: Princeton, New Jersey
$500 to climb Mount Shuksan via the Price Glacier route.

Evgenia Moiseeva: Boston, Massachusetts
$300 for a 5 day variation of the Monta Rosa Peaks traverse. 

Michael Nawrot: Cambridge, Massachusetts
$450 to spend an extended time on glaciers in the Southern Alps in the Aoraki/Mount Cook region and climb alpine routes in the area. 

Kira Ratcliffe: Middlebury, Vermont
$450 for a two-week trip to the Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia to climb classic alpine trad routes and splitter cracks including the Beckey-Chouinard Route and Sunshine Crack. 

Michael Reid: Windham, Maine
$250 to develop mountaineering skills in a two-day technical summit attempt on Mt. Hood via the West Crater Rim and continue to evolve diabetes self-management for climber's with type one diabetes.

Valerie Rogotzke: New Haven, Connecticut
$800 for a single-day, solo run of the 56-mile Circuito Cóndores in central Chile.

Tyler Rohr: Cambridge, Massachusetts
$500 to attempt the first free ascent of Pico Cao Grande, a 455-meter volcanic tower on the island of Sao Tome, via the 15-pitch route Nubivagant (Wandering in the Clouds).

Bernard Rusnock: Hackettstown, New Jersey
$400 to climb the Matterhorn from the Italian side and traverse the summit and descend via the Hornli Ridge into Switzerland.

Stormy Saint-Val: Cambridge, Massachusetts
$450 for a rock gym pass to improve climbing skill and train to participate in Color The Crag climbing festival.

Jacky Sawyer: New York, New York
$350 to advance climbing ability to the next level and build the skill and confidence to lead climb by spending two weeks on a self-designed climbing retreat with experienced climbers in Owens River Gorge and Bishop, California.

Tyler Simon: Stewartsville, New Jersey
$200, to climb the Matterhorn from the Italian side and traverse the summit and descend via the Hornli Ridge into Switzerland.

Michael Swartz: Somerville, Massachusetts
$500 to attempt the first free ascent of Pico Cao Grande, a 455-meter volcanic tower on the island of Sao Tome, via the 15-pitch route Nubivagant (Wandering in the Clouds).

Suzanna Zak: New Haven, Connecticut
$250 to train for high alpine climbing as an all female team, culminating in climbing the Northeast Face of Pingora and the East Ridge of Wolf’s Head, Cirque of the Towers, Wind River Range.

SOUTHEAST REGION:

The Southeast Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Danny McCracken. Committee members included Dave Giacomin, Garrett Gossett, Tim Fry, Christopher Massey, and Michelle Xue. 

Marcela Brock: Powder Springs, Georgia
$700 to climb Alpamayo via the French Direct route and Quitaraju via the North Face Direct route over the course of 2-3 weeks.
 
Jeffrey Buckley: Damascus, Virginia
$600 for a winter ascent of the Dientes de Navarino in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. Weather permitting, and with some ambitious climbing, a full traverse will be attempted.
 
Samuel Chaneles: Miami Beach, Florida
$400 to take a team of 3 on a summit attempt of Aconcagua, the highest summit in South America.
 
Tatiana Faramarzi: Washington, DC
$500 to climb the Exum Ridge on the Grand Teton buttress,
 
Michelle Farler: Eads, Tennessee
$350 for the dream of sleeping under the desert sky and to learn to jam with all the traddies with hopes of climbing the ever perfect Supercrack.
 
John Gannon: Fairfax, Virginia
$400 to summit the Grand Teton via the Full Exum route unguided with a group of veterans in early September (6th-10th).
 
Austin Goff: Winston Salem, North Carolina
$400 to put up new alpine routes in the Chill Lakes area of Cloud Peak Wilderness, Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming. There are no currently documented routes in the area.
 
Alice Hafer: Las Vegas, Florida  
$650 to send the hardest and longest big wall climb that she has ever attempted in in Tsaranoro, Madagascar.
 
Gage Holbert: Knoxville, Tennessee
$400 for the goal of climbing The Nose on El Capitan in Yosemite in an estimated 4 to 5 days.
 
Matthew Ireland: Louisville, Kentucky
$400 to attempt the Cirque of the Towers Traverse located in the Wind River Range.
 
Jessica Linton: Falls Church, Virginia
$500 to establish several rock climbing routes on La Dame du Mali, aka Mount Loura, in the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea.
 
Jesse McNeill: Chevy Chase, Maryland
$350 to put up a Deep-Water Solo first ascent onsight in the Railay or Tonsai areas of Thailand.
 
Nathan Olsson: Bethesda, Maryland
$300 to climb multiple Grade IV lines in the South and North Basins on Mt. Katahdin, ME.
 
Nina Riggio: Atlanta, Georgia  
$650 for her goal to climb in the Arrigetch peaks of the Brooks Range, AK, then float 135 miles of the Alatna River to the nearest town of Allakaket.
 
Austin Schmitz: Brevard, North Carolina
$350 to climb Cathedral Peak in Tuolumne Meadows with his mom.
 
Alex Vanotti: Durham, North Carolina
$350 to successfully climb the Nose on El Capitan.
 
Riley West: Arden, North Carolina
$300 to complete a traverse of the Clark Range in Yosemite National Park.
 
Benjamin Wu: Asheville, North Carolina
$400 to free, in a day, the Beckey-Chouinard route of the South Howser Tower in the Bugaboos.

CENTRAL REGION:

The Central Regional Selection Committee was chaired by James Schroeder. Committee members included Ryan Gajewski, Adam Mitchell, and Ryan Maitland. 

Benjamin Bamberger: Urbana, Illinois
$600 to climb Tetnuldi Peak in the Svaneti Region of Georgia as part of his research into the history of Georgian mountaineering.

Eric Barnard: Winona, Minnesota
$400 to make a clean ascent of Mescalito on Yosemite’s El Capitan.

James Den Uyl: Holland, Michigan
$300 for a trip to Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park to climb the CMC Route on Mount Moran and the Upper Exum Ridge on the Grand Teton.

Todd Dohogne: Wildwood, Missouri
$600 to climb Denali’s West Buttress route as a member of an unguided team of three.
 
Dalan Faulkner: Rowlett, Texas
$400 to enchain three 5.12’s on the three largest peaks (Longs Peak, Chiefs Head, and Mt. Alice) in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park during a 24-hour push.

Anel Guel: Grand Rapids, Michigan
$600 to climb Mount Pisco in the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca.
 
Alexander Hansen: Minneapolis, Minnesota
$400 to climb challenging routes on Mt. Rainier (Liberty Ridge), Dragontail Peak (Triple Couloirs), and Forbidden Peak (West Ridge or Northwest Face) over a seventeen-day period.

Karen Henson: San Antonio, Texas
$400 to travel to Wyoming and attempt to summit the Grand Teton via its Owen-Spalding or Upper Exum route.

Max Kahn: Madison, Wisconsin
$600 to make the first ascent of Paungda Danda in Nepal’s Annapurna Region without the use of fixed gear.
 
Riley McDonald: Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
$500 to climb the West Ridge of Bugguya (Mt. Hunter) along with several additional routes in the Alaska Range.
  
Carolyn Rosas: Austin, Texas
$300 for a trip to Joe’s Valley, UT to improve Carolyn’s bouldering skills on classic problems in the area.

Elizabeth Sahagun: Lafayette, Indiana
$400 to climb Mt. Rainier’s Disappointment Cleaver and do the Ptarmigan Traverse in the North Cascades.

Kalli Schumacher: Chanhassen, Minnesota
$400 for a two-month alpine rock climbing and mountaineering trip to Sawtooths, Cascades, Bugaboos, and Wind River Range.

Leah Shamblin: Rapid City, South Dakota
$400 to travel to the Shawangunks in New York and learn the art of traditional climbing why exploring her cultural heritage as a Lenape Indian.
 
Jeffery Simpson: Saint Louis, Missouri
$400 to integrate the Evolution Traverse into a thru-hike of the Sierra High Route in California.
 
Sean Vallefuoco: Austin, Texas
$300 to make a one-day ascent of Logical Progression on El Gigante in Basaseachi Falls National Park in Chihuahua, Mexico.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION: 

The Rocky Mountain Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Mitch Dorsk. Committee members included Byron Harvison, Steve Taylor, Dillon Parker, and TNF athletes Cedar Wright and Savannah Cummins. 

Nicole Allen: Golden, Colorado
$685 to Pequeno Alpamayo (AD, 17,618'), Cabeza de condor (AD+, 18,700'), Illimani (21,122') in Bolivia. 

Aaron Conley: Arvada Colorado
$250 to attempt the Liberty Ridge on Mt. Rainier. 

Mike Coyle: Durango, Colorado
$1,000 to climb the Southwest Ridge of Ama Dablam, located in Nepal’s Khumbu Valley. 

Nodin de Saillan: Boulder, Colorado
$500 for a trip to Chamonix to attempt climbs that can be accessed from the Aiguille de Midi lift, which include the "Petite Aiguille Verte," the "Super Couloir," and the "Cosmiques Arete."

Derek DeBruin: Ogden, Utah
$1,000 to attempt the Emperor Face of Mt Robson via Infinite Patience (VI M5 WI5).

Michael Drake: Boulder, Colorado
$350 to return to climb The Nose on El Capitan after an accident on the same route five years ago.

Eliza Earle: Boulder, Colorado
$1,000 to climb Torre Principal by "Ruta Normal" 5.10, Aguja Frey by "Sifuentes Weber" 5.9, and Aguja M2 by "Del Diedro" 5.9 in Frey, Argentina. 

Zebediah Engberg: Mount Pleasant, Utah
$800 to establish a new route on the unclimbed southeast face of Tathagata Tower in the Cirque of the Unclimbables in the Nahanni National Park, Canada. 

Jennifer Fischer: Boulder, Colorado
$1,000 to establish multiple trad first ascents in Li Ming, China over the course of a three-week trip as an all-female first ascent team. 

Evan Gabrielsen: US Air Force Academy, Colorado
$200 to climb Mt. Robson’s Kain FAce (IV AI3), the North Face of Mt. Bryce (IV 5.7 AI4), and the North Ridge of Mt. Columbia (V 5.7 AI3). 

Kimberly Gagnon: Denver, Colorado
$365 to become well-versed in multi-pitch technique and process by leading Theater of Shadows at the City of Rocks, Idaho. 

Garrett Gregor: Boulder, Colorado
$200 for a trip to Fontainebleau to climb his first 8B+ and earn international routesetting credentials. 

Pitt Grewe: Sandy, Utah
$500 to establish new routes on the granite spires of Ship Island Lake in the Frank Church Wilderness of Idaho. 

Jane Jackson: Kelly, Wyoming
$300 to spend ten days climbing on Mt. Hooker in the Wind River range in Wyoming with Dana Larkin, with objectives including Gambling in the Winds (5.12) and Jaded Lady (5.12-).

Grant Kleeves: Ridgway, Colorado
$800 to devote himself to climbing Cerro Torre in El Chalten, Argentina. 

Dan Klim: Durango, Colorado
$450 for a month-long ski/splitboard mountaineering project in South America, with objectives including Antuco, Sierra Velluda, Volcan Lanin, Lonqimay, Puyeche, and Volcan Calbuco. 

Seth Luedtke: Severance, Colorado
$500 for an alpine-style ascent of the Cassin Ridge on Denali. 

Nathan Mankovich: Fort Collins, Colorado
$250 to attempt to free Father Time on Middle Cathedral.

Hannah Marshall: Ridgway, Colorado
$500 to explore ski mountaineering objectives near the Pika Glacier in Alaska.

Katherine Nelson: Colorado Springs, Colorado
$500 to climb the Beckey-Chouinard route in the Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia. 

Bogdan Petre: Boulder, Colorado
$1,000 to climb Chopicalqui in the Cordillera Blanca via the east face direct (6354m, TD) and descend via the southwest ridge. 

Peter Stone: Jackson, Wyoming
$450 for a month-long ski/splitboard mountaineering project in South America, with objectives including Antuco, Sierra Velluda, Volcan Lanin, Lonqimay, Puyeche, and Volcan Calbuco. 

Dory Trimble: Salt Lake City, Utah
$200 to attempt to free four classic multi-pitch routes in El Potrero Chico: Snot Girlz (7 pitches, 10c), Estrellita (12 pitches, 10d), Space Boyz (11 pitches, 10d), and Treasure of the Sierra Madre (7 pitches, 10c) with Lila Leatherman.

Emilia Wint: Salt Lake City, Utah
$200 to climb The Nose on El Capitan with an all-woman team. 
 

WESTERN REGION

The Western Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Tony Yeary. Committee members included Laurie Berliner, Paul Hendricks, and TNF athletes Dave Allfrey and Peter Croft. 

Louie Allen: Bishop, California
$1,000 to climb Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Cayambe, and potentially Antisana via the standard glacier and snow routes in Ecuador. 

May Benson-Martin: Berkeley, California
$1,000 to climb the southeast face of the Lotus Flower Tower (V 5.10+ or 5.9 A1) in the Cirque of the Unclimbables in Canada’s Nahanni National Park. 

Trevor Bowman: Flagstaff, Arizona
$1,000 to establish a new route up the east face of the Innominate (12,761’) in Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains. 

Benjamin Cumbie: Napa, California
$250 to attempt Val Kilmer (5.11+) on the Angel Wings in the High Sierras with Sean Robison. 

Giselle Fernandez: Oxnard, California
$800 for a ten-day trip to the Cordillera Carabaya to attempt new routes on Chilpariti and Screwdriver, two of the most difficult summits in the range. 

Remington Franklin: Tucson, Arizona
$1,000 to make the first free ascent of Nubivagant, a 15-pitch, 455m route graded 5.13d/A0 up Pico Cão Grande in São Tomé and Príncipe. 

Ash Gambhir: San Diego, California
$500 to climb Mt. Rainier via the Liberty Ridge with Ross Leone. 

Andrew Hall: Santa Barbara, California
$300 to attempt the northeast face of He-Devil, the tallest mountain in the Seven Devil’s Range in Idaho. 

Travis Heidepriem: San Francisco, California
$1,000 to attempt the Porter Route (VI 5.9 A4) on the Northwest Face of Mt. Asgard on Baffin Island. 

Alexandra Hill: Davis, California
$1,000 to climb the Exum Ridge in Grand Teton National Park with Tatiana Faramarzi, as well as summiting the Middle Teton via the North Ridge and Symmetry Spire via the Southwest Ridge. 

Ethan Higgins: Prescott, Arizona
$400 for a trip to the Bugaboos in BC to improve efficiency on long alpine objectives, including climbing the Northeast Ridge on Bugaboo Spire and the Snow Patch route on Snow Patch Spire. 

Kevin Kent: Flagstaff, Arizona
$1,000 to make a first ascent on either Peak Slesova or Peak 1000 Years of Russian Christianity in the Karavshin area of Kyrgyzstan.

Crystal Lie: Hermosa Beach, California
$400 to project the 5.13a lines - “L’Escamaria” in Siurana and “Tequila Sunrise” in Chulilla in an effort to break into the 5.13 sport grade. 

Astra Lincoln: Mammoth Lakes, California
$1,000 for a human-powered climbing tour through Alaska, the Yukon, and British Columbia, including roughly 3,000 miles of cycling and over 100,000 feet of vertical gain. 

Josef Maier: San Luis Obispo, California
$250 to free climb Freerider on El Capitan, preceded by a series of climbs in Yosemite, the Northern Sierra, and the Needles to prepare and train.

Marcus McCoy: Nevada City, California
$250 to complete four multi-pitch trad climbs on the Watchtower, a subpeak of Tower Peak, in the northern boundary of Yosemite National Park and Hoover Wilderness. 

Dane Mulligan: Rancho Mission Viejo, California
$800 to summit Denali via the West Buttress as part of a recovery from a broken back and in partnership with a friend climbing the Seven Summits.

Peter Nelson: Santa Cruz, California
$350 to train for Astroman (11c, Yosemite) by climbing a series of increasingly challenging crack and multi-pitch routes, including Catchy Corner, Book of Job, Moratorium, Voyager, and the Rostrum.

William Nicewonger: San Diego, California
$500 to attempt a single-day free ascent of Time Wave Zero (5.12a, 2,300’) in El Potrero Chico with Justin Wallace.

Jason Ogasian: South Lake Tahoe, California
$800 to climb the West Buttress of Denali. 

Leslie Pace: Quincy, California
$300 to become a competent and confident alpine adventurer through summiting all the 14,000’ peaks in California. 

Emily Reinsel: Flagstaff, Arizona
$500 to establish a new route up the east face of the Innominate (12,761’) in Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains. 

Caitlin Roake: Stanford, California
$300 to run the 72-mile High Sierra Trail and attempt to set an all-female Fastest Known Time.

Will Starks: Truckee, California
$250 to attempt an onsight of Positive Affect (19 pitches, 5.12b) on Arco Iris in Cochamo, Chile, as well as alpine objectives in El Chalten, Argentina. 

Cathy Tseng: South San Francisco, California
$350 to complete four multi-pitch trad climbs on the Watchtower, a subpeak of Tower Peak, in the northern boundary of Yosemite National Park and Hoover Wilderness. 

Nicholas Willhite: San Diego, California
$350 to backpack and climb six 14,000’ peaks in California, including Mt. Langley, Mt. Muir, Mt. Whitney, Mt. Russell, Mt. Tyndall, and Mt. Williamson. 

Hyo Jung (Nicole) Yu: Los Angeles, California
$1,000 to climb the Cassin Route on the Northeast Face of Piz Badile in Switzerland (800m, 22 pitches, 6a). 

NORTHWESTERN REGION:

The Northwestern Regional Selection Committee was chaired by Erin Schneider. Committee members included Andrew Puhl, Jeremy Bowler, and Ally Imbody. 

Jeff Aslan: Bellingham, Washington
$700 to climb in the San Carlos de Bariloche and Cochamo regions in Patagonia with his wife Annie. 

Robert Bechaud: McCall, Idaho
$410 to explore climbing potentia in several relatively unknown climbing areas in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. 

Nate Bender: Missoula, Montana
$400 to attempt to set the fastest known time for summiting the 27 peaks in Montana taller than 12,000’, a route encompassing roughly 85 miles and 42,000’ of elevation gain.

Erin Burk: Bend, Oregon
$400 to climb the NNW Ridge of Parabola (III, 5.7) and the South Arete of Xanadu (IV, 5.8) in the Arrigetch Peaks of the Brooks Range, Alaska, then float 135 miles of the Alatna River to the town of Allakaket. 

Samuel Carter: Spokane Valley, Washington
$600 to attempt “Exocet” on Cerro Standhardt or “The Ragni Route” on Cerro Torre in Patagonia. 

Alana Chapko: Seattle, Washington
$300 to climb the Kain Face of Mt. Robson in British Columbia. 

Lindsay Chutas: Spokane, Washington
$300 to climb the Moses Tooth in Alaska via the Ham and Eggs and Shaken Not Stirred Routes.

Zach Clanton: Anchorage, Alaska
$400 to attempt the first ascent of the Radelet Arete on Radelet Peak in Canada’s Yukon Territory. 

Auri Clark: Juneau, Alaska
$400 for an all-female expedition to complete first ascents of two unnamed and unclimbed peaks in the Stikine Icefield. 

Ian Dodds: Bozeman, Montana
$500 to attempt the east face of Fitzroy, a first free ascent of the west/northwest face of Piergiorgio, and/or the first ascent of the east buttress of Marconi Sur in El Chalten, Argentina. 

Brandon DuBois: Renton, Washington
$500 to summit Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Cayambe, and potentially Antisana in Ecuador. 

Patrick Duffy: Cosmopolis, Washington
$200 to climb Mt. Rainier via the Liberty Ridge route.

Sam Eurich: Ketchum, Idaho
$500 for a 400-mile, 5-week packrafting traverse of the Brooks Range in Alaska, with numerous climbing objectives in the Arrigetch Region.

Bradley Feddersen: Seattle, Washington
$400 to summit the tallest point of El Altar - El Obispo, a rarely-accessed ice route on a remote peak in Ecuador. 

Brian Fedigan: Boise, Idaho
$300 to attempt the Grand Traverse in Grand Teton National Park in under three days.

Matias Francis: Bainbridge Island, Washington
$300 to attempt the North Couloir on Mini Moonflower, the SW Ridge on Mt. Francis, and the West Face of Kahiltna Queen in Alaska. 

Ryan Griffiths: Bozeman, Montana
$400 to attempt the second ascent of Happy Trio, Mt Asperity (ED- 5.10a WI3, 950m) and ascents of other routes in the Waddington Range of British Columbia. 

James Gustafson: Homer, Alaska
$300 to establish a new route up the east ridge of Radelet Peak in the Yukon Territories. 

Matthew Jeffries: Spokane, Washington
$300 to climb the Moses Tooth in Alaska via the Ham and Eggs and Shaken Not Stirred Routes.

Seth Kane: Bozeman, Montana
$400 to attempt alpine routes of the D to TD+ grade range in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru to increase experience on large-scale, technical alpine terrain.

Patrick Kao: Seattle, Washington
$300 to climb the South Face of Mt. Waddington in Western British Columbia.

Lila Leatherman: Corvallis, Oregon
$300 to attempt to free four classic multi-pitch routes in El Potrero Chico: Snot Girlz (7 pitches, 10c), Estrellita (12 pitches, 10d), Space Boyz (11 pitches, 10d), and Treasure of the Sierra Madre (7 pitches, 10c) with Dory Trimble. 

Rachel McCaffrey: Seattle Washington
$300 for a week of alpine climbing in the Bugaboos, with objectives including the Northeast Ridge of Bugaboo Spire, Southwest Ridge of Snowpatch Spire, West Ridge of Pigeon Spire, Beckey-Chouinard Route on South Howser Tower, South Ridge of Bugaboo Spire.

Robin Pendery: Enumclaw, Washington
$300 to climb the Southwest Ridge of Peak 11,300 (Grade V, 5.8 M4) in the Ruth Gorge of Alaska.

Nicholas Puma: North Pole, Alaska
$300 to summit Mt. Bona (16,421’) of the St. Elias Mountains in eastern Alasia via the Glacier Climb route. 

Benjamin Rogers: Sandpoint, Idaho
$200 to summit Mt. Hood in Oregon. 

Jonathan Skeen: Portland, Oregon
$600 to climb the North Face of Mt. Kenya while documenting endangered plants and wildlife as well as receding equatorial glaciers.

Tyler Smallwood: Edmonds, Washington
$300 to attempt the Evolution Traverse in the Eastern Sierras of California. 

Robin Smith: Seattle, Washington
$490 for three days of instruction from She Moves Mountains, a female-led guiding company in Oregon, to become a competent sport climber and leader and to share her knowledge with other women. 

Ivy Spiegel Ostrom: Leavenworth, Washington
$300 for a two-week trip to the Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia to climb classic alpine trad routes and splitter cracks including the Beckey-Chouinard Route and Sunshine Crack. 

Nick Sweeney: Spokane, Washington
$500 to attempt Urus Este (5420m), Ishinca (5530m), and Tocllaraju (6032m) in the Ishinca Valley of the Cordillera Blanca. 

Becky Switzer: Bozeman, Montana
$300 to free Logical Progression (28 pitches, 5.13-) on El Gigante in northern Mexico. 

Abraham Traven: Boise, Idaho
$300 to develop a new crag or multi-pitch route near the city of Shigu in Yunnan, China. 

SKI/SNOWBOARD MOUNTAINEERING SPECIFIC: 

The Ski/Snowboard Mountaineering Selection Committee was chaired by Mike Marolt. Committee members included Drew Seessel, Charlotte Fox, and TNF athlete Mark Synnott. 

Jason Burleson: Burtonsville, Maryland
$200 to ski Villarrica Volcano in Chile and complete a rope-solo ascent of Sinestro Total (5.10+, 8 pitches) on Torre Principal. 

David Cahill: North Ferrisburgh, Vermont
$200 to climb and ski Mt. Rainier with Nick Williams, Kurt Weiss, and James Turrito. 

Brett Carroll: Salt Lake City, Utah
$500 to attempt to climb and ski the East Ridge on Mt. Logan. 

Nolan Hurd: Golden, Colorado
$500 to climb and ski Artesonraju in the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, with secondary objectives including climbing and skiing Huascarán Sur or Pisco Oeste, and climb Alpamayo. 

Jamie “Coby” Jacobus: Rye, New Hampshire
$500 for a ski-mountaineering trip to Chamonix with the goal of skiing steep coulouirs, including the Passerelle Coulouir, Glacier Rond, Cosmiques Couloir, or others, and to ski the Classic Haute Route. 

Katie McCaffrey: Auke Bay, Alaska
$800 for an all-female ski and snowboard mountaineering project attempting two first ascents of unnamed and unclimbed peaks on the Stikine Icefield in southeast Alaska. 

Trevor Summerfield: Reno, Nevada
$200 to climb the Hotlum Glacier Route on the northeast side of Mt. Shasta, and ski the more eastern aspect of Shasta down the Wintun Glacier. 

Eduardo van Rhede van der Kloot: Old Greenwich, Connecticut
$500 to climb and ski a new line in the Niut Range in British Columbia. 

Arthur Whitehead: Golden, Colorado
$500 to climb and ski Artesonraju in the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, with secondary objectives including climbing and skiing Huascarán Sur or Pisco Oeste, and climb Alpamayo. 

Keatan Williams: Bozeman, Montana
$100 for a single-day ascent of the Liberty Ridge route on Mt. Rainier with a ski descent of the Emmons Glacier. 

Climb the Hill Recap

Stephen Gosling photo. 

Stephen Gosling photo. 

Climbers with the American Alpine Club, Access Fund and partner organizations just completed an impressive third ascent of Capitol Hill. On May 10th, an elite team of professional climbers, outdoor industry leaders, and grassroots partners charged the Hill to advocate for outdoor recreation and improved climbing management, with a specific focus on the Antiquities Act, the Land Water Conservation Fund and the Recreation Not Red-Tape Act.

Climb the Hill meetings helped move the needle on several policy issues and inspired congressional office to take action. Learn more about what we accomplished in the recap!

AAC Grief Fund Launches with 24hrs into the Black

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We're proud to launch 24-Hours into the Black, a fundraiser to help kickstart AAC's Climber Grief Fund: a program to support grieving climbers in need. At the end of this month, climbers Madaleine Sorkin and Mary Harlan will attempt to link 3 major routes in the Black Canyon in 24 hours. Madaleine says the effort is "for the nourishment we can find in the void, in the Black, and for the fierce and gentle persistence to trust life enough to risk returning time and time again.” 

Learn more about the journey here, follow Madaleine and Mary and donate on their fundraiser page, and look for updates on AAC’s Facebook. 

We're hopeful that Madaleine and Mary's incredible efforts to come on these climbs will kick off a positive beginning for a fund dedicated to helping climbers through dark times. 

Happy Mothers Day!

"I feel like one of my most important roles as a mother is sharing the experience of mountains with my daughter." -Ammi Midstokke

"I feel like one of my most important roles as a mother is sharing the experience of mountains with my daughter." -Ammi Midstokke

We're sending hugs to all the moms out there who have encouraged and supported us, whether that's meant putting up topropes, helping us identify birds at the crag, looking at our photos when we return, or— in the case of AAC Member Ammi Midstokke and her daughter Beverly— taking us on wild and formative adventures.  

Read about Ammi and "B"s climbs and explorations here, and keep an eye out for more from this dynamic duo in the 2018 Guidebook to Membership. 

Thank you to all the strong mothers in this community. We're grateful for you!

The American Alpine Club Announces 2018 ‘Excellence in Climbing’ Honors and Benefit Evening

May 1, 2018, Golden, CO—The American Alpine Club (AAC), the country's oldest and largest climbing and mountaineering member organization, is thrilled to announce the organization's 2018 inductees to the Hall of Mountaineering Excellence and the winner of the 2018 H Adams Carter Literary Award. The honors, which recognize a lifetime of achievement in their respective categories, will be bestowed at the 3rd Annual Excellence in Climbing Celebration on June 2, 2018 at the History Colorado Center.

The Hall of Mountaineering Excellence recognizes those who have made lasting contributions both on and off the mountain. The 2018 inductees are a truly impressive class of climbers and alpinists, who have used their knowledge and success to positively influence new generations of climbers.

2018 Inductees to the Hall of Mountaineering Excellence:

Danika Gilbert - For her work with ASCEND: Leadership Through Athletics, empowering young Afghan women through climbing to become leaders who are equipped and motivated to help their society transition to peace.

David Roberts - For his storied career as a published author of over 20 books and mentorship of young  authors, preserving and growing the art of storytelling.

Doug Chabot - For co-founding the Iqra Fund, which provides access to quality education, especially for girls in the remote regions of northern Pakistan, improving their quality of life.

The H. Adams Carter Literary Award was established to recognize excellence in climbing literature. Recipients of this award have contributed extensively to the art and include honorees like Jon Krakauer, Katie Ives, John Long, and Alison Osius.

2018 H. Adams Carter Literary Award: Jeff Jackson - For a decade of dedication and inspiring work at Rock & Ice magazine.

The celebration event will be held on Saturday June 2, 2018, at History Colorado Center located at 1200 N Broadway, Denver, CO 80203. The evening includes presentations by honorees, a cocktail reception, live and silent auctions, libations, and food. And since no AAC function would be complete without a dance party, the evening will be appropriately capped-off with live 80's music by The Goonies, along with more drinks, games, and gear giveaways.

All event proceeds benefit The American Alpine Club Library and The Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum, dedicated to preserving and celebrating our shared climbing history.

Tickets are very limited. For more information about the weekend activities and to reserve your spot, call (303) 384-0110 or visit americanalpineclub.org/excellence.

Registration closes on May 29, or when sold out.

About American Alpine Club

The American Alpine Club is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose vision is a united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes. Together with our members, the AAC advocates for American climbers domestically and around the world; provides grants and volunteer opportunities to protect and conserve the places we climb; hosts local and national climbing festivals and events; publishes two of the world's most sought-after climbing annuals, the American Alpine Journal and Accidents in North American Climbing; cares for the world's leading climbing library and country's leading mountaineering museum; manages the Hueco Rock Ranch, New River Gorge Campground, Rumney Rattlesnake Campground, Samuel F. Pryor Shawangunk Gateway Campground, and Grand Teton Climbers' Ranch as part of a larger lodging network for climbers; and annually gives $100,000+ toward climbing, conservation, and research grants that fund adventurers who travel the world. Learn about additional programs and become a member at www.americanalpineclub.org

 

Survey: Sexual Harassment and Assault in Climbing

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We're partnering with Alpinist and climbing organizations across the country to launch a survey on the occurrence of sexual harassment and sexual assault in the climbing world. Our goal is to quantify the extent of this problem in our community.

Your responses are important whether or not you have experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault. All responses will be kept anonymous unless you specify otherwise. The survey won’t require specifics, but you will have the opportunity to share details if you wish, or participate voluntarily in follow-up conversation(s). You may also have the opportunity to opt-in to journalistic reporting. The survey takes fewer than 5 minutes to complete, and should be done by 11:59 pm (Pacific Time) on THURSDAY, May 31, 2018. (The deadline has been extended from May 6.) Take the survey here.


Responses gathered will be generalized for the purpose of reporting, and will be used to help us to impove policies to reduce incidents, increase understanding, and provide better support systems for all climbers. Analysis will be done by two independent data scientists: Dr. Callie Rennison, renowned victimologist, and leading expert in statistical and survey methods; and Charlie Lieu, trained computational biologist with nearly 25 years of big data and decision analytics experience, often in clinical context requiring HIPAA privacy and security.

Other than use for analysis purposes by the two data scientists listed above, the raw data will be inaccessible by anyone else without explicit consent. The final data set will be stored with the highest security method, on a password-protected air-gapped device.

If you have any questions or concerns about this survey, please contact Dr. Rennison, at [email protected].

 

Photo: AAC member Jason Gebauer

American Alpine Club and Access Fund Prepare to Climb the Hill

Some of the climbing representatives display their power after a successful day on Capitol Hill. From left to right are Sasha DiGiulian, Caroline Gleich, Libby Sauter, Quinn Brett and Katie Boue. Photo: Derek Franz.

Some of the climbing representatives display their power after a successful day on Capitol Hill. From left to right are Sasha DiGiulian, Caroline Gleich, Libby Sauter, Quinn Brett and Katie Boue. Photo: Derek Franz.

We're teaming up with Access Fund to tackle our next challenging ascent: Washington, DC’s Capitol Hill. On May 9-11th, we'll kick off the annual effort by meeting with law and policy makers and to advocate for public lands, outdoor recreation, and improved climbing management— and we'll bring an elite team of professional climbers, outdoor industry leaders, and grassroots partners to help.

Together, we'll advocate for balanced land management policy, with a focus on the Land Water Conservation Fund and Antiquities Act. Both organizations plan to pursue legislative and administrative efforts to increase access to public lands, defend environmental protections and pursue balanced energy policies on public lands.

To learn more, check out the Climb the Hill website. Stay tuned for more info on how you can get involved!

April 13, 2018, Golden, CO—The American Alpine Club (AAC) and Access Fund— two of our country’s foremost climbing advocacy non-profit organizations—are teaming up for a challenging ascent: Washington, DC’s Capitol Hill. The climbing advocacy organizations will return to Capitol Hill May 9 – 11 for their annual Climb the Hill campaign, meeting with law and policy makers and to advocate for public lands, outdoor recreation, and improved climbing management—and they’re bringing an elite team of professional climbers, outdoor industry leaders, and grassroots partners to help.

Access Fund estimates that nearly 60 percent of all rock climbing areas in the US are located on federal public land. Together, The American Alpine Club and Access Fund will advocate for balanced land management policy, with a focus on the Land Water Conservation Fund and Antiquities Act. The organizations plan to pursue legislative and administrative efforts to increase access to public lands, defend environmental protections and pursue balanced energy policies on public lands.

The two organizations are tapping a wide delegation of renowned professional climbers, including Sasha DiGiulian, Alex Honnold, Lynn Hill, Tommy Caldwell, and Margo Hayes among others. They will be joined by prominent outdoor industry executives from Patagonia, Adidas, The North Face, Patagonia, CLIF, and REI. Non-profit partners include Outdoor Alliance (OA), Latino Outdoors, Brothers of Climbing, Brown Girls Climb, American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) and the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA).

“Climb the Hill is an incredible opportunity to bring the climbing community together and ensure we have a seat at the decision-making table. It’s a privilege to lead this project with our partners at Access Fund who have spent years working on policy issues and meeting with lawmakers. With so many attacks on public lands, this is the time to work together and galvanize climbers,” said AAC’s Policy Director Maria Povec.

“This is an opportunity for Access Fund and American Alpine Club to bring together climbing industry leaders and professional climbers to support our common cause. Climbers have helped shape our public lands system for well over a century, and we are committed to protecting our unique American landscape,” says Access Fund Policy Director Erik Murdock.

Learn more about this joint project at: ClimbTheHill.org

AAC Chicago Chapter Chair Savannah Buik Passes Away in Climbing Accident

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Our hearts are heavy with the news that Savannah Buik passed away in a climbing accident yesterday. Savannah was our charismatic Chicago Chapter leader, spent last summer interning with us here in Golden, and just graduated with her BS in Mathematics.

When, a few months ago, we asked her why she climbs, she wrote:
"I divert to climbing to help me experience ALL emotions: happiness, anger, frustration, sadness, excitement... the emotions combine to make me feel whole again. Climbing is my way of feeling."

Savannah was an inspiration in our community, and we miss her laugh ringing through the office and local crags. We continue to be inspired by her positive spirit.

*UPDATE: Savannah’s family has started the Savannah Buik Memorial Fund, which enables you to make a gift to the Club in her honor. Donate through the drop-down menu here. Thank you!

2018 Research Grant Recipients Announced

2017 Research Grant Recipient Rachael Mallon collects a sample on the Gerdine Glacier while studying the biogeography of snow algae communities.

2017 Research Grant Recipient Rachael Mallon collects a sample on the Gerdine Glacier while studying the biogeography of snow algae communities.

We're proud to announce the recipients of the 2018 Research Grants, powered by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy (NREL) and supported by Icebreaker, Kavu, the Henry Gholz Memorial Fund, and the following endowments: Lara-Karena Bitenieks Kellogg Memorial Fund, Scott Fischer Memorial Fund, Arthur K. Gilkey Memorial Fund and the Bedayn Research Fund.

The AAC Research Grants program supports scientific endeavors in mountain environments around the world. Grant recipients’ research reflects AAC’s mission “to support our shared passion for climbing and respect for the places we climb” by contributing valuable information to our understanding of the world’s mountain ecosystems. Each grant recipient becomes an AAC Researcher, sharing their experiences, lessons learned, and findings with fellow climbers and the research community.

learn more about the Grants here. Researchers: we can't wait to see what you discover!

March 23, 2018, Golden, CO—The American Alpine Club (AAC) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2018 Research Grants, powered by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy (NREL) and supported by Icebreaker, Kavu, the Henry Gholz Memorial Fund, and the following endowments: Lara-Karena Bitenieks Kellogg Memorial Fund, Scott Fischer Memorial Fund, Arthur K. Gilkey Memorial Fund and the Bedayn Research Fund.

The AAC Research Grants program supports scientific endeavors in mountain environments around the world. Congratulations to the 2018 Research Grant recipients:

Zeke Baker - $1,500

Bridging climbing access and impacts in a multi-use landscape: A historical political ecology of climbing in Indian Creek, Utah

Zeke Baker is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of California, Davis. He is investigating how various groups - rock climbers, ranchers, Native Americans, landowners, government officials, and scientists - have impacted the landscape of the Indian Creek region of Utah, and how they evaluate and make meaningful their respective impacts.  

Marie Faust - $1,225

Reproductive consequences of climate change-driven alterations in co-flowering between two subalpine plant species

Marie Faust is a master’s student in Plant Biology and Conservation at Northwestern University. She is examining how climate-driven shifts in co-flowering can affect competition for pollinator services and reproductive success in a subalpine plant species at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado.

Jessica Gilbert - $1,500

Assessing the impact of anthropogenic activities on high altitude biodiversity in Huascaran National Park, Peru

Jessica Gilbert is a PhD candidate in Wildlife and Fisheries Science at Texas A&M University. Her study aims to assess the impact of human activities on high altitude biodiversity in Andean ecosystems in Huascaran National Park, Peru, comparing the spatial use of habitat by mammalian carnivores in “pristine” environments and areas affected by livestock grazing our tourism activities.

Ethan Guzek - $1,020

Proposed Rockfall and Slope Stability Hazard Assessment, Frenchman Coulee Climbing Area

Ethan Guzek is a master’s student in Engineering Geology at the University of Washington. He is using standard engineering geological methods for studying rock-slope stability and rock fall hazards to conduct a safety assessment for the Sunshine Wall at the Frenchman Coulee climbing area in Washington.

Andrew Hoffman - $1,500

Deriving elevation change, validating GPRI-derived glacier velocities, and using citizen science to enrich public awareness of regional climate change on Mt. Baker, WA

Andrew Hoffman is a PhD candidate in Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington. He is investigating glacier speed and retreat on Mt. Baker, Washington using photogrammetry-kinematic GPS surveys, a process that incorporates citizen science efforts.

Rachel Kreb - $1,225

Ecological Restoration: Cushion Plant Facilitation on Alpine Trails

Rachel Kreb is a master’s student in Environmental Biology at Regis University. She is investigating how cushion plants respond to human-caused disturbance along restored and existing trails on Mt. Yale in Colorado.

Marti March Salas - $1,220

The effect of rock climbing on Mediterranean cliff vegetation: Implementation of an innovative and comprehensive methodology in a wide geographical range

Marti March Salas is a PhD student in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid, Spain. He is investigating the impacts of rock climbing on cliffside plant communities in Mediterranean environments by conducting surveys of species richness, plant composition, and vegetation cover in climbing locations in the US, Chile, Spain, and France.

Amy Sturgill - $1,500

Pine Creek Recreation Interaction Study: The Role of Outdoor Recreation in Shaping Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Habitat Selection

Amy Sturgill is a biologist with the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. She is investigating the impacts of recreational use in Pine Creek Canyon, Sierra Nevada, California, on Sierra bighorn sheep habitat selection.

Thank you to our partners and Research Grant Committee members: Danika Gilbert, Louis Reichardt, Matt Hepp, Micah Jessup, and Emily Fenwick.

Part of the AAC’s mission is to respect and support the areas we enjoy, and one of the most important ways to do that is by funding research to better understand such environments. Learn more about the Research Grant: https://americanalpineclub.org/research-grants.

AAC Celebrates Women's History Month

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Photo: climber Margaret Griffin, in camp and on Mount Baker, ca. 1920.

Women are sending the hardest routes out there and putting up first ascents worldwide. We couldn't be more excited to celebrate these feats this month and see where women lead the climbing community next!

Check out our Women Mountaineers exhibit, created in partnership with the Mazamas and Colorado Mountain Club Libraries, and our Women in Climbing Timeline.  

If you're in Colorado's Front Range, join us at the Women's HERstory Month gathering the evening of March 28th at our headquarters in Golden. 

Here's to the ladies who strengthen our community! 

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North American Ice Climbing Championships Next Weekend

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The 2018 North American Ice Climbing Championships will take place March 16-17 in Fenton, Michigan. The Championships are open to all athletes with experience in ice climbing or drytooling.  Previous competition experience is not required. Spectator entrance is free.

Interested in joining the fun? Learn the details.